This morning I woke up to snow. It wasn't a lot, just enough
that made me think that I should leave a little early for work.
I love the snow, it makes everything clean and new; things
seem to be extra quiet and life slows down a little.
One thing I'm not, is afraid to drive in the snow. I did it
for many years in a tractor-trailer while driving for FedEx Freight. You don't
have to freak out about it, there are just some slight changes that you have to
make in your driving to get to where you're going safely. Leave extra stopping
distance, drive at a slightly slower speed, ease into the turns; you know use
some common sense.
As I got on the road I seemed to be the only one that was
changing my driving habits at all, and it got me thinking of how we view our
salvation and others view religion. The way I see it is we can look at it one
of three ways. * Attention * there is only one correct answer.
1.
You can drive through your Christian life saying
" I have insurance (salvation) Now I can do what I want and still go to
heaven." This is how most people
were driving this morning, thinking only about getting themselves to where they
were going, without regard for the others around them.
2.
You can hit the road without insurance and think
that if you just drive carefully enough (good works) you'll get to heaven. This is a ridiculous
view. Driving without insurance carries with it a hefty penalty. That penalty
in your life is death.
3.
Or you can have you insurance (salvation) and
drive with consideration to those around you, so you all get to where you are
headed safely (good works).
James 2: 14-18 says What good is
it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that
faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily
food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and
filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone
will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart
from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
There isn't a religion in the world that
doesn't agree that there is something wrong with us, but what differs is their
opinion on how to fix it. This is where the world views religion and sees us as
hypocrites. Worldly religions will tell you that it is through your good deeds
that you receive your salvation, but just try and measure up to perfect and you
are bound to fail. By heaping up your good deeds, YOU DO NOTHING, to secure
your place in heaven. Good deeds to receive salvation is just an extension of
your selfishness.
But here is what God says about
us...you can do nothing to fix yourself.
Here is the good news though, the
main point of the Gospel, and if you read nothing else READ THIS... God sent
His Son to die in your place. Jesus being fully God , and fully man, means he
lived the perfect life that we can't. He then died in our place as a perfect
sacrifice and that means the salvation is permanent. He then rose from the
grave, conquering death to give us new life, and when He rose from death that
means the payment was accepted.
Jesus bought and paid for our insurance
with His blood. It is through that, that our good works flow. Not to receive
salvation but because we have salvation.
So drive knowing you have
insurance, look for the opportunities to tell others that their bill can be
paid for them. Love the people around you with the love of Christ and let you
good works flow from that. "Rest and go in peace."
Jason
